Damage to vehicle surfaces from hail or other icy precipitation is typically manifested as randomly dispersed symmetrical and concavely-shaped depressions or dents. Motor vehicles subject to such damage may suffer a substantial loss in value, and as a result, it may be desirable to repair such a hail damaged vehicle. One approach to repairing hail damage is to simply replace a damaged panel with a new panel and finish the panel to match the existing panels. Yet another approach to repairing hail damage is to apply a hardening fill material (e.g., Bondo.RTM.) in a hail dent depression, sand and prep the defect area, and then refinish the area to match. Both of these approaches are time inefficient and expensive, since extraneous panel surface areas are refinished. Another approach to repairing hail damaged surfaces is a technique referred to as "paintless dent repair" or PDR. Using the PDR technique, a repair technician manipulates elongate tools to bias or otherwise force the dented metal back into shape from the reverse side of the panel. Most significantly, the previously damaged panel need not be refinished as the paint associated with the dent typically remains intact.
Paintless dent repair is an inherently labor intensive repair process, as little or no replacement of parts or additional supplies may be required during the repair. However, it has been difficult to accurately and uniformly estimate the time and cost to repair hail damaged motor vehicles using the paintless dent repair technique as the time and cost of this type of repair varies widely depending on the number and relative severity of the dents. Estimates have traditionally been "best guess" approximations, which may vary dramatically between repair facilities. At the present time, there is a need for effective and precise means for calculating an estimate of the time to repair a hail damaged vehicle. This need is particularly significant to insurers, as an insurance claim adjuster may have a very short time to review and estimate each damaged vehicle.